Artemis Fowl: Book 8
by SavvyJackie
Summary: As things become more hectic than ever after Opal's escape, the Mud Man genius and fairy Captain must capture the deluded pixie and defeat her once and for all. Set before The Last Gaurdian as alternate conclusion.
1. Christmas Eve With a Fairy

**_(2013 Update): This is a fanfiction I started a few years ago. I had trouble continuing it but have now decided to pick it up again. I made some changes to the parts I previously published. If you are not a newcomer and have already read those, don't fret; the storyline has not changed. I made some tweaks here and there. The grammar and the descriptions were slightly altered. My main concern was that some of the chapters were not satisfactory in length (some of you have noticed this, too), so I prolonged them by combination._**

**_It's also important for you to note that this story takes place_**** before The Last Guardian****_, since its inception was also before the release of the concluding novel. I hope this does not deter you from reading it._**

**_With that, I give you _****Artemis Fowl: Book 8.**

* * *

**Artemis Fowl: Book 8**

**Christmas Eve With a Fairy**

_Fowl Manor, Christmas Eve_

Artemis sat patiently in his study, tapping his fingers lightly on the dark, cherry wood table. He was smiling while biting his lip, waiting. He had called one of his best friends to come and visit, and her name was Holly Short. Holly was an elf that he had kidnapped a few years ago, but after a developing time and a series of adventures, they had become close friends. He felt a bit excited because this was the first time they were doing something normal with no stress of saving the entire world; no worry about the fairy civilization being discovered by the Mud Men; and no worry about trying to defeat a conceited pixie all at the same time.

Butler was standing by the door, a smile playing on his lips at the thought that this might actually turn out to be a regular day. He, too, was finally relaxed and steady, not too worried about anything that might cause harm to his principle, although just as alert as he always was.

Juliet was below preparing dinner for everyone. The sound of silverware clanking and drawers opening and closing echoed throughout the house.

"Final peace, eh, Artemis?" Butler removed his hands from behind his back and stretched them out, walking up to the pale teen.

"Not quite, but I do believe everything is in order for now. After all, how could there be peace for the Fowls? And we still have that psychopathic pixie on the loose."

"Right you are, Artemis. Maybe someday peace will come."

"Perhaps. Now, I presume you told Holly no business is involved? She must have been curious."

Butler chuckled. He knew of course that Holly would be suspicious of a sudden invite as well. But when he called her to pass on Artemis' message, she was delighted and pleased to hear it was just an invitation to spend time together, although she couldn't resist throwing in a sarcastic remark. Butler himself couldn't help repeating it.

"Yes, she was. She thought you, and here I quote, 'finally came around to your senses and are coming back to the criminal ways of kidnapping foolish elves'."

Artemis turned to look at Butler and frowned, his shoulders tensed.

"Relax, Artemis; she was only kidding, of course. We know you have become good. You are making a project to save the world. The People couldn't ask for more." Butler knew that Artemis wasn't a man for jokes, but it was a bit strange that he would take something like that seriously.

"Atlantis Complex still has a little hold on you, Artemis? I assumed the fairy psychologists had gotten rid of your paranoia."

"Of course," Artemis replied. He stood from his leather chair, fixed his Asian Suit tie and smoothed the hair that already lay evenly on his forehead. "I don't believe I'm used to having holiday occasions such as this often, old friend. Just a bit nervous."

He walked to the door and Butler followed.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Turning the handle, he took a deep breath and tried to put on a smile.

"It'll be fine Artemis, just fine," Butler assured him, silently wishing he was right.

They came downstairs to the dinner table where Juliet was carefully laying out the food and folding the napkins as accurately as possible. She wore a colorful, eye-catching dress that had sowed designs of flowers on it. Her blonde curls were tied back into a ponytail and her face was covered with subtle makeup that complemented her features.

Butler was awestruck by the beauty of his little sister. Anyone who looked at her would've never guess that she could displace about seven of their bones in less than five seconds. But no one had to know. Tonight she was just a regular girl.

"Juliet, you look wonderful," Artemis complimented. He knew that no matter how much of a Butler Juliet was, she could surprisingly always pass as a very feminine and elegant girl.

"Thank you, Master Fowl. You never looked better yourself now that everything is cleared up and you don't look like you're on a wild goose chase anymore," she said casually as she skipped to Butler's side.

Juliet took her brother in, observing him from head to toe. She gave a quick nod, proud of the work she had done, seeing as she had tidied up the enormous man herself. Juliet made sure that he would wear a costume to match Artemis', that he was well shaven, and that his hair was properly trimmed. Yes, she had done a swell job to her brother's appearance on the surface, but she had no control over the fact that under that suit lay numerous weapons. Some were even unknown to man, although they would be familiar to certain Fairy People.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Juliet. Thank you," Artemis sighed.

They all looked silently at the large, rectangular wooden dinner table in front of them, as if admiring the view. Different thoughts passed through each head as they watched the lights of the candles on the table flicker. Artemis was the first to speak up.

"Where are Mother and Father? I thought they would be ready by now."

Suddenly a voice rang from the top of the stairs.

"Oh, I am very ready dear Arty, but your father may take a while." Artemis' mother laughed lightly and came down the grand staircase, her black high heels clicking against the floor. She looked as dashing as Juliet, wearing a dark purple dress that trailed behind her. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in an elegant bun with little specks of glitter surrounding it. A smile was stretched over her face.

"And how many times must I tell you to call me 'Mum'?" she continued.

"At least once more, Mother, as always."

Angeline Fowl ignored her sons reply.

"You all look so grown up; I might as well kick you out of the house now and leave the twins and your father to take care of me. Next time we shall do something less…fancy." Angeline Fowl placed a hand on Artemis' cheek while looking up at Juliet and Butler, who were still a bit submerged in thought.

"Quite true, _Mum_, but this is, as you well know, a special occasion. It's Christmas Eve and I do believe it's your first time meeting Holly. As for the growing up part, I'm afraid I've cheated on that one. For three years, to be exact."

The Irish youth felt a tinge of nervousness in his stomach about what he just said; he didn't want anything to go wrong when his parents met Holly. He was also worried that some touchy subjects might come up in conversation between them. His mother very well knew the truth about everything now. He had no choice but to explain to her about the People since she was somewhat abducted by an evil pixie, Opal Koboi. His father, on the other hand, was ignorant of the important facts. Artemis and his mother had decided they would wait for the right moment to tell him everything, but for now, it was to remain a secret.

"Yes, I know," Angeline winked at her son and walked up to the table, followed by Juliet. The two started quietly chatting about dinner while Butler and Artemis walked to the waiting room where they agreed they would wait for Holly. They both sat down on a pair of gold and red-woven designed chairs.

"I have aged quite a lot," stated Butler as he felt the prickles of his well-shaven head. He had of course caught gray hair now and then.

"You're still the same to me, old friend," Artemis said truthfully.

Out of nowhere came a female voice.

"As for me, although calling him _old _friend might not make him feel any better, Artemis."

Holly Short had materialized out of thin air, leaning on Artemis chair, holding her LEP helmet and smirking. Artemis jumped a bit in his chair while Butler rolled his eyes and simultaneously removed his hand from an inner suit-pocket, where one of his guns had been.

"Holly! By all means Holly Short, you must stop with that." Artemis exclaimed. But a small smile could be seen on his countenance, and his tone of voice showed that he was not angry. In fact, he was beyond happy. He stood up and the two embraced in a hug.

Holly then stepped over to hug Butler. "You know, it's a bit strange for you to be keeping your security on the down-low. I managed to get through without any problems. _That's_ a problem."

"Ah, of course. I thought you might ask, Captain. Allow me to explain. I have upgraded my security, not disabled it. Upgraded it by tenfold, in fact. It's designed to keep certain people-or fairies, in this case- in, and certain people out." Artemis explained.

"Foaly will be interested to get a look at that, I'm betting. Will you show me?" Holly asked.

"Later. We must first go to dinner. You made it right on time, by the way. It's 7:00 o'clock on point." Artemis grinned, as he did more often now. It's true he changed ever since encountering the Fairy People.

Holly had been wearing her LEP suit as planned. She was supposed to fly here and then meet with Juliet to get her makeup done so she wouldn't appear as a fairy to Artemis Fowl Senior. At first Holly objected. She was not an ardent fan of makeup. But it seemed as if there was no other choice, and Juliet had pleaded. When she finally agreed, it was an amusing scene to see Juliet jump up and down from joy and Holly groan in response.

The female elf felt overjoyed to be there. She never really had a chance to spend leisurely time with the Fowl and Butler families before. Finally the time had come.

"Well I definitely didn't want to be 'fashionably late'," she explained.

Artemis nodded at her remark. _Juliet would've disagreed._

"Shall I call Juliet now? I think she might explode from eagerness when she sees you. Her duty of dress-up never waits." Artemis teased, knowing Holly wasn't looking forward to her "dress-up" session whatsoever.

For a brief moment, he looked her over. He noted she was bit taller, barely an inch. Her auburn hair had grown longer as well. She had that ever-prevailing aura of fierceness and beauty around her. She was positively stunning to the human or fairy eye. A charm that would beat Opal's in a second.

Holly sighed, annoyed. "Oh fine, but next time we're going somewhere where I won't have to play the role of a doll. No more of this makeup stuff, alright?"

Holly couldn't stand makeup. It was something she found out when trying to put some on herself when she was younger. She didn't get farther than smeared gel-lipstick all over her face.

_Besides, _thought Holly, _LEP officers don't wear makeup. _Then, _But considering the fact that I'm the only female_ _in the bunch...No. Still. No more makeup._

Butler coughed, finally interrupting after watching the amusing conversation between the two.

"I will summon Juliet." He silently walked away from the room, his footsteps still audible even when he was well out of sight.

Holly and Artemis were left standing in the room, watching after Butler as he left. Artemis was the first to break the silence.

"So how are things? Down by the LEP I mean. Any trouble lately?" He ran his fingers down one of the paintings on the wall, observing it as if for the first time and almost laughed. _Trouble. Ha-ha. Maybe she won't catch the joke. _

Holly didn't. Or perhaps ignored it.

"Fine. Apart from the fact that we can't get any peace out of Foaly and Diggums trying to decide which type of ground-carrot tastes better. And there's still no sign of Opal. Why do you ask? I thought you were already updated on anything there is to know, what with your gifted ability in hacking computers and all," Holly folded her hands and looked at Artemis, waiting for him to turn around. He did so eventually, after he finished examining a pure copy of the Mona Lisa (a story that Artemis will enjoy sharing in the future).

"Of course, when I say by the LEP, I do not refer to-"

"Holly! I'm so glad you're here!" Juliet came in the room with a huge smile on her face, interrupting fairy and human from their conversation. She jumped to Holly and squeezed her with all her strength, which was quite a lot for a Butler.

"Glad to see you too, Juliet. Now, would you please let go before I faint? No, seriously. I can't handle the strength of force coming from a hug-coming from a Butler!" Holly gasped, taking a relieved breath as soon as Juliet let go of her.

Juliet waved her brother over. He was carrying what appeared to be a pink suitcase. As he came closer, you could see that it was actually a huge plastic box. It was partially see-through and, judging from its bedazzled design, clearly filled with every girl's dreams. _Well, only for the mentally deranged girls, _Holly fumed internally_. _Not that Juliet was. She was just...special.

Butler set down the box on a nearby brown, leather coach and sat next to it. Meanwhile, Artemis gave Holly a slight nod which meant: _We'll talk later._ Holly nodded back in response and turned to face Juliet.

"Sit," Juliet pointed at the chair that Artemis had previously sat in. Holly obeyed. "Now, you two, get out. She's going to be a surprise."

Artemis wasn't used to being given orders but did as he was told.

"You'll live," Butler winked at Holly as he followed Artemis out.

As they walked away, they caught Holly grumble "I hate surprises, let alone being one," and chuckled, amused by Holly's annoyance.

Artemis began to wonder how long he had to keep playing games with his father. The only reason for Holly's make-up session is because they have not informed Artemis Fowl Sr. about the fairy world.

_This is silly. Holly does not actually need a make-over. She is fair looking. Next time I shall create something a little less complicated to hide Holly's fairy features. My father must know soon, anyway. He must __find out, _Artemis decided as the two made their way to join Juliet, Mrs. Fowl and Mr. Fowl (who had finally come down looking rather handsome, excusing his prolonged preparation) at the table.

In the waiting room, Juliet was working her magic. And by magic, of course it means her gift of handling makeup, not the magic that Holly and other Fairy People had possessed and almost always quickly ran out of.

Juliet started working on Holly's shiny, brown hair first, curling it over her ears just in case the fake human ear she placed over it wasn't enough. She attached a few silver flower hairpins to the elf's hair to keep it in place.

"Juliet, I understand that some of my features would seem out of place, but do I really need all that makeup?" Holly gulped as she looked at the layout of makeup, accessories and utensils that lay on a wooden coffee table in front of her. Lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow, blush and nail polish of every color; hair-irons; eyelash curlers; brushes- _Everything_.

"Oh, don't fuss. I'm a professional," she displayed her full set of glistening teeth. "It's a very special date Holly; I would never have you come in as if you're on a life-or-death mission. Just today. _Please?_" Juliet Butler put on her most desperate face, a face that said _this_ was a life-or-death matter.

"Fine. Just please don't make me look like a Barbie doll. Foaly would have to make a list of nasty remarks about how I actually agreed to do this..."

Juliet only laughed and continued brushing light-pink blush onto Holly's cheeks. Then she dabbed strawberry-red lipstick on her lips and finished with a light touch of glitter on Holly's eyes and hair, which was loosely spread on her shoulders. After a few final touches, Juliet sighed and smiled, satisfied. She had made Holly a completely different person. Or rather, _a_ person.

"Are you done? Can I have a look in the mirror, please? I want to make sure I don't look like I came from the circus." The moment she made her sarcastic remark, Holly regretted saying it, because Juliet's eyes filled with hurt.

"You doubt me, Holly?"

"Of course not. I'm sorry. I guess I'm a bit nervous about the dinner, that's all," Holly admitted. She was of course a bit anxious about coming to dinner for the first time. Actually meeting Artemis' parents. Pretending to be human. All the things she couldn't really prepare for.

_And yet I go through near-death situations involving psychotic fairies on a normal day. With a Fowl._

"That's okay,"Juliet said, forgiving Holly without a second thought. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Oh! Now for the best part! Put on...this." Juliet ran to her pink box and pulled out a folded piece of clothing. She turned around and unfolded it, pressing it against herself to display it.

Holly gasped.

It was a strapless, blood-red dress with small pieces of glitter on top. It shone resplendently, like a sea of stars on a red sky.

"Well?" Juliet beamed.

"Juliet, it's amazing." Holly breathed and smiled to encourage the girl just in case.

"Good. Now put it on, put it on!" Juliet handed Holly the dress carefully.

"Sheesh. Who knew this family could be so demanding," Holly muttered and walked off towards the restroom door Juliet had directed her to change in.

After a few minutes of fumbling around, Holly got the dress on.

"Ready, Juliet?" She shouted from behind the door.

"I've been ready all my life!" The girl responded.

_Here goes nothing_, Holly thought and, with a deep breath, opened the door.

* * *

As Butler and Artemis approached the dinner table, they saw that Angeline and Artemis Fowl I were already sitting down, talking and laughing quietly.

"Ah, Arty, you're back," Artemis' father said.

"Yes, Father."

Artemis Sr. raised an eyebrow.

"...Dad." The Fowl youth corrected himself reluctantly, pulling back the chair facing his father and sitting down.

"Has your friend arrived?" his father inquired.

"Yes, Holly is here. She is merely helping Juliet with her makeup," Artemis lied, and Butler puffed silently, sitting himself down next to his principle.

As if Juliet needed help.

"Not anymore," Juliet's voice sang.

Everyone turned towards the direction of the sound.

Juliet was leaning against the arch way. Next to her stood a girl. A girl who, at first, Artemis and Butler could not recognize.

It would be an understatement to say they were shocked. Artemis himself was a little unsure, too. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him. His eyes were fixed on Holly, his mouth slightly open, and he choked up before he could gasp. Holly had transformed. Yes, she looked human. Juliet did a splendid job. But she was also..._hypnotizing_. Her features were brought out more clearly than before, free of the dirt and blood that was normally characteristic of them and a side effect of her job. Her dress made her radiant. It fit her figure perfectly and made her look as classy and elegant as Juliet and Angeline Fowl.

Artemis felt embarrassed staring at his friend like that. Letting himself, for some reason, act unlike himself. _Perhaps a bit of that moron Orion is still upon me,_ he thought. And so it seemed, for he couldn't turn to face his parents and simply introduce Holly. Artemis Fowl the Second was-not counting the use of a _mesmer _on him-mesmerized.

"Holly," was the only word that managed to escape his mouth. Butler and the rest were surprised as well, but they just smiled and complimented her silently in their minds.

_She sure is a grown woman, or at least…on the inside,_ Butler thought, as he glanced at Artemis' expression and fought back a laugh.

_Oh what a splendid young gir- elf. Yes, that's what Artemis said she was. I can't believe he never mentioned how beautiful she is, _Angeline Fowl mused and smiled warmly as Holly and Juliet approached.

_Ah, no wonder he talks so much about her. _Artemis Senior was the first to sit back in his chair, seeing as they had all had stood up at the sight of a new friend. The rest followed suit, but Artemis was still stunned. He began to argue if he should slap himself out of it when Holly spoke.

"That bad, huh?"

Juliet shook her head and sashayed over to the table, taking a seat. Only Artemis remained standing, which made Holly a little nervous, but he caught himself just in time and put on his usual calm appearance. He walked up to Holly, trying his best not to look awkward.

"Not at all. You put Aphrodite to shame," he said silently, not wanting the others to hear.

Holly blushed slightly. "Really? I'm flattered. That's a lot coming from a Fowl."

They walked over to the table. Artemis realized that everyone was staring at them and exchanging glances back and forth. This made him uncomfortable, as if everyone was hiding something. _Ah, still a little paranoia. But that was a scene, and everyone is staring._

"_This_ must be Holly," Angeline Fowl looked over her husband to see Holly as she took her place next to him. Artemis took his place between Butler and Juliet and noticed how the two seats at each end of the table were missing, instead replaced by two highchairs.

"Yes, Mother. Holly Short to be exact."

Artemis the First coughed back a laugh at hearing Holly's last name. He found it a bit funny that such a short human's last name would be, well, Short. His son wasn't fooled by the cough and almost couldn't help but laugh himself. Luckily his father moved on and no one else noticed the two Artemis' rare immature act.

"And where did you two meet? It's not every day a Fowl picks up a friend with our reputation, eh?" Mr. Fowl grinned, although Artemis didn't. He wasn't proud talking about his past crimes. He glanced over at Holly, to who the question was addressed. She was a bit wide-eyed, not ready to come up with a story of how the two met, but Butler already had a plan which put Holly at ease.

"When we made our trip to Murmansk to find you, we needed help to make some Japanese translations to our pilot. He was unfamiliar with the English language. So this young lady happened to know it. We owed her and she ended up being a great help through many…situations."

_Japanese? Really? _Of course Artemis knew the explanation was acceptable, but he couldn't help but get the urge to think of a more believable explanation.

"Ah! You know Japanese? Impressive. Mind you, Holly, would you say a phrase? I have been trying to master that language for years but always had issues. It would be great pleasure to hear it," Artemis Senior encouraged her, excited. Holly quietly sighed, relieved of having the gift of tongues. The words of Japanese came out fluently.

Just then something in the kitchen beeped. Juliet stood from her chair and gently clapped her hands.

"The main dish is ready! Oh, you are going to _love_ this!" and she rushed off into the kitchen from where they could already smell something delicious.

"And that means it's time to introduce some new guests," Angeline stood up as well, smiling. For a second Artemis was confused to who his mother was referring to, but then he remembered how there were two highchairs at each end of the table.

"Ah, yes," he said quietly to himself, and they all watched Angeline Fowl walk off to the grand staircase, and only Holly was left a bit confused. Artemis saw her puzzled expression and mouthed the word _twins, _holding up two fingers, as if making a peace sign. Of course Holly knew that was something you wouldn't Artemis dead doing and understood he was referring to his two twin brothers, Myles and Beckett. The elf nodded. _Come to think of it, I've never really seen the two. Two brothers related to the great criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl? That doesn't sound too good. _Holly silently giggled at the thought. Any more criminal masterminds? That would be a mess.

* * *

**_Hope you enjoyed that!_**

**_Anyone catch the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ reference? ;-)_**


	2. Urgent!

**Urgent!**

_Fowl Manor, Christmas Eve_

_3 Hours Before Christmas_

The dinner went as planned. No interruptions. The food was enjoyed, particularly by the Fowl twins, who had a fun time throwing it around the room, making Juliet feel a little unappreciated.

"Don't worry, Juliet. They are just children. There barely comes a time when they choose to eat using proper eating utensils, even when _I _tell them to." Angeline reassured her kindly.

Everything was small talk and a bit of lies, which bored Artemis Jr. greatly, and gave him a sense of guilt. Luckily, the dinner ended soon. Artemis was a bit too eager to leave and was the first one to stand up.

"That was a very pleasant dinner, Juliet. Thank you." The comment made Juliet smile.

"I hate to be in a hurry," Artemis continued, "but I promised to show Holly our new security system. I want to get back before the twins go to bed, you know that, Mother."

Oh, yes. Everyone knew. The Fowl twins _never _went to bed before having their big brother read them part of a Sherlock Holmes mystery to bed, or some other old classic.

"Alright, dear, since we have a whole hour before their bedtime, you can go," Angeline Fowl permitted.

"No! No bedtime for me! Bedtime for Artemis!" Myles protested, Beckett wordlessly agreeing with the simple action of throwing his spoon on the floor and folding his hands, scowling.

Artemis only sighed. "Come along Holly, before they throw a fit. They can get quite dangerous, you know."

Holly rose from her chair. "Thank you for the dinner, Juliet. I'll see you all in a little while."

She rose from her chair and followed Artemis out of the room, also immensely glad she could take a momentary break from pretending to be human. On the way, she took off her fake ears, relief flooding through her. The fake ears had put pressure on her real ones, and it was comforting to feel the blood circulation return back to normal. She then released the clips from her hair and let it loose. Last of all, also happening to be the most painful, were her high heels. It was now considered a form of torture to wear high heels to the fairy. Well, of course. The People never wore such bizarre things. _Never going to let Juliet dress me up again, I'll tell you that, _Holly swore.

They made their way inside the security control room. Multiple computers were built into the walls and an abundance of high-tech controls were located under them. Normally, you would expect such a room to be filled with tangled wires, not knowing which goes where, but in this case, it was the opposite. Ever since Artemis Fowl was hit with the notorious disease of the Atlantis Complex, he had urges to clean _everything_. He wasn't diagnosed with it anymore, no, but he decided he liked the way his old self organized the room and kept it the way it was. He was no longer tripping over wires, and Myles and Beckett were no longer messing up the system by getting their greedy hands onto them. Artemis had made sure to install a password-protected wire-box to keep all the wires inside, making it impossible for the twins to get through. _They will soon be old enough to not be fooled by such things. Life will become more complicated, _Artemis thought as he sat himself down on a large, black spinning-chair.

"Finally." Holly plopped herself down on a similar but smaller spinning-chair next to Artemis and twirled around once. "That was something."

Artemis folded his hands together in front of himself and turned to Holly, looking very much like the world's smartest criminal mastermind.

"Do not act like you did not enjoy yourself, Holly Short. I know you did," he smirked a half-smile.

"Maybe I did. But _I _barely noticed." She smirked back, just as cruelly.

"Alright then, elf; play your game. But that answer will change shortly, because I will show you once again the pure genius of my work. Of course, I'm sure Foaly already came up with the same complex system…"

"He did. _More _complex, Artemis. But of course I'm sure there's something you've changed. The identification scanner is impressive…"

Artemis stared at Holly, saying nothing. A few seconds of silence passed as he waited for Holly to catch on. Just as he was about to speak, explaining the real reason why they were there, she snapped her head up and looked suspiciously at Artemis.

"You didn't bring me here to show me your security system, did you?"

"No, Holly, I did not bring you here to show you my security system. I'm glad you know me better than that. This is far more important."

"And what is 'this'?" Holly inquired, leaning back in her chair.

"I have fixed the one that will save us all."

* * *

_Haven, Christmas Eve_

While a certain criminal mastermind was about to reveal his grand plan to save the Earth to a certain female elf, chaos was slowly arising down at the LEP in Haven.

It was certainly no holiday for the fairies; not at all. Only the Mud Men celebrated Christmas, but even if the fairies did too, they wouldn't be now. The computer lab of Police Plaza was busy. A not-so-amiable Foaly was muttering under his breath about how his coffee was too bitter. In Haven, there was never good coffee, and he knew that. What would give anyone such a reason to drink some? What would send the entire LEP into an frenzy of incessant work? Opal Kaboi. Pixie enemy number one.

All the fairies were rapidly tapping away at their computers, nervously twitching when Foaly came by to check on the progress.

"C'mon! Haven't we got anything? It's been a few weeks now. If we don't find any sign of Opal by tomorrow, Trouble Kelp will have me by the hooves before you can say 'Artemis Fowl has turned good.'"

"He-he has, sir?" stuttered a scrawny, shorter-than-usual elf who was assisting Foaly and taking notes of every good piece of information found, which was minimal.

Foaly considered his own statement for a moment. "Yes. But we're not one hundred percent sure. Even if he has, _never_ trust a Fowl. That is, if you ever meet one."

The elf laughed nervously. "I-I sure hope not, s-sir."

Foaly laughed at this. He was so used to having to deal with situations that almost always involved the Fowls that he forgot everyone else wasn't so lucky.

"Ah, don't worry. He's completely harmless! Really. The worst you can do is be stupid around him, which is quite fun once you try it. It's the big one you got to watch out for. Ahah."

Foaly was just getting around to mentioning the other Butler, Juliet, when the most unanticipated words erupted out of an elf's mouth.

"Sir! Sir! I think I've gotten something! Something about Opal!"

Foalys head snapped up at this, his heart skipping a beat. Could it be? After all this time, is there finally a clue to Opal's escape? He wasn't convinced.

He steadily walked over towards the computer from which the elf that spoken was working. He took a quick look at the computer screen, where a map of a heat scan was displayed on the whole area surrounding the place of Opal's downfall into the ocean.

The elf didn't waste time on details and cut straight to the point.

"You see, if you go far into the northeast side of the area where we last saw Opal," it took a few seconds for him to adjust it to the right spot, "and magnify it to maximum, you get nothing."

"And…?" Foaly frowned at the screen, annoyed.

"Well, I remembered how you mentioned that Opal was quite tricky. I didn't really know what to do; there was no trace of her. But then...remember the cold-temperature generator you were working on?"

"I haven't finished that yet. It wouldn't work." Foaly said indifferently.

"But sir, I've tried it. It doesn't work on land; that's too complex. But if you tweak it to work on the heat scan map, and choose small spaces of more exposed areas to work on, it works. It can overlook the slightest temperature differences, ones we couldn't spot with the regular heat scanner. " He typed some complicated passwords on the computer and opened a few files. Finally, the one he was looking for popped open. It was the same one as before, but with a slight difference. A small shape, no bigger than the nail of a pinkie, stood out. It was orange, very different from the blue heat of the water. "See? Just there. A warmer area that's easy to overlook."

The room was silent except for the breathing of each worker. Everyone was looking at Foaly, waiting for him to say something, but he had a distant look in his eyes and didn't respond.

"Sir? I know it's not very big news but…it could be something. What do you think?" The elf swallowed. He sure hoped it was something.

Foaly snapped back into the real world and fixed his gaze back on the screen, clearing his throat."I think...that I like you, elf. If this _is _a clue to Opal's escape, then you're in for quite a promotion. Now! Someone, anyone, call Trouble immediately. I think we've finally got something he'd like to hear about. Let me talk to him."

Foaly threw his coffee into the trash, knowing he wouldn't be needing it. He rubbed his hands together excitedly and went up to the main screen of the room, waiting for Commander Trouble's grumpy face to show up on the screen.

* * *

_Fowl Manor, Christmas Eve_

Holly stared intently at the cube-shaped, faded beige cloth cover as Artemis rolled it out of an over-sized cabinet on a one-level utility cart. The cabinet, you might wonder, was in fact under several of advanced security padlocks, as well as password-protected locks. Holly knew that they involved far greater material than a four number code and wondered what trick the criminal mastermind might've used this time. Another eternity code, perhaps? Did he invent a whole new language and use its symbols to create something no average human could figure out? It seemed likely.

Holly didn't put thought on it much further, though. She was far more interested by the object lying underneath the cover. As she patiently waited for Artemis to explain what lied underneath, stroking the leather of her chair back and forth, she heard a faint sound. _Beep. Beep. Beep. _Then, it went quite.

Artemis Fowl turned his head from his eager-to-be-shown project towards Holly and frowned. _He heard it too, _she thought.

Not a split second later did the frown wash away from the teen's face.

"Now, what could that be?" Artemis said with feigned curiosity. Although he wasn't the slightest bit uncertain of where the beeping noise came from, he quickly glanced at the carelessly placed purse lying on the floor next to Holly's chair to confirm his theory. A rectangular-shaped flashing light, similar to the light from the screen of a cellphone, was projecting through the thin fabric of the bag.

He glanced back at Holly as the source of the noise dawned on her too. It beeped again, and she quickly snatched the purse from the floor and reached into the bag, pulling out her LEP communicator. It was something Foaly gave her before she left to enjoy the five days off she had requested. They would be able to contact her in case of an emergency, and she would too. Although Holly wished that she would never have to use it, she knew that it was highly unlikely.

She held the palm sized object close to her face, frowning. The title of the messenger revealed it to be from Foaly. A subtitle in red kept continuously flashing the word "URGENT!" and Holly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Artemis, I-"

But the boy held up his hands. "You should probably answer it." A hint of disappointment shimmered in his eyes, but he knew this could be more important than what he was about to show her.

Holly had already opened the message. Her eyes quickly scanned the text, and Artemis, although tempted to ask her to read it out loud, patiently waited. His curiosity increased further as he saw Holly's eyes widen and she got up from her seat.

Just as he thought he could contain the questions no longer, she spoke. "It's from Foaly. He says…he says they might have a lead on Opal." Holly glanced up to see his reaction but didn't wait for a reply. "They want me at the site to inspect the area where we last saw her. Right away."

A few seconds of silence passed as the information slowly sank in. Both elf and teen realized what this would mean for both of them.

"You should go then." Artemis' reply came out a little too abruptly. Immediately after saying it, he regretted the words, and a thought occurred to him. _I'm being selfish._

He should've seen this coming. The eagerness to reveal his project had distracted him and raised his hopes. He realized that he shouldn't have. There were far greater problems at hand, and he was surprised to not find himself immediately taking action. He knew it wasn't Holly's fault and was just about to apologize, but when he looked up, he saw she already had a guilty look on her face.

"M-maybe I can come back in time. I know this dinner was important to you and-" then she stopped, wondering why he was letting her apologize. Sure, this was not the easiest of decisions, but usually, Artemis wouldn't take offense for something insignificant in terms of direness.

"I thought you would understand, Artemis."

"I do. I'm sorry." Artemis shook his head. "That was a selfish remark," he admitted.

He wasted no further time and voiced an idea that popped into his head. "I'll take you there." As he began analyzing the idea over in his head, he realized it was perfect. He could finally show her his state-of-the-art and newly improved flying machinery. Out of all his ideas of projects to start working on, he had found himself most excited about this one.

In his last episode with Opal, he deceived her into following him over to a nearby body of water because she thought he possessed a certain lemur. He escaped there on a plane. Of course, after the damage Opal had done, that plane wasn't up to its best ability, but with a few repairs, Artemis had made better use of it than what it was originally intended for, and after testing it out, he discovered something. He liked flying. That made him eager to fix the vehicle immediately, and now he was glad he had.

Holly stared for a second, shocked. "How?"

"Much faster than you can get there, if we leave…right now." Artemis said, calmly taking a quick look at the watch on his left forearm.

Holly was taken aback by Artemis' sudden offer. Getting himself involved somewhere he wasn't wanted could be dangerous. _Although, _Holly thought, _it wouldn't be the first time._

"You can't just leave everyone; soon enough, they'll notice you're gone." Holly said gently, trying to find a fault in his spontaneous plan. Truthfully, she didn't want to drag him along into this mess. It could be another trap. Plus, Trouble would most likely be there, and he never liked the Mud Boy around. Certain now that he shouldn't get involved, Holly shook her head. Deciding not to waste any more time, she took out her LEP helmet, which she had shrunk to the size of a tennis ball. She started clicking a few buttons while simultaneously sending hand signals to the device and it grew back to its original size in under a second. She couldn't help but silently thank Foaly for making the portable version of the headgear. With recent demands for quicker and more manageable equipment, Foaly's complaints about how much they weren't paying him enough was worth going through in the end.

Artemis smiled at her sudden assumption. "I don't mean to accompany you, Holly."

Holly raised one perfect eyebrow while her hands went rummaging through her purse, looking for her head piece. _Of course, _she thought. _There's always more to it than that. _"And what genius of your plan am I failing to understand?"

"I can show you." Artemis replied. He ambled towards the only window in the room and placed his hands behind his back.

"Alright. But make it quick. And one more question." She adjusted the purse on her shoulder and joined Artemis by the window, taking in the dark scenery of the night. A slight grin appeared on her face as she felt a familiar, nervous twinge in her stomach, one that meant knowing she was about to come face to face with danger. "How are we going to get out of here if the front door isn't an option?"

Artemis turned around to face her and smiled mischievously.

"Why this window, of course."


	3. Transportation Provided

**Transportation Provided**

_Fowl Manor, Dining Room_

From the moment Artemis and Holly left the dining room, Butler sat tensed in his seat and completely lost his appetite for the beautifully laid out food on his plate. His fork occasionally made dips and traveled to his mouth, but he only did so because he was couth. Inside his head he was playing out possible situations of what his young principle could've been doing.

Juliet, meanwhile, was beaming and making silly faces at the Fowl twins. Despite their frequent time spent with their brother, who was not one to fool around, they couldn't resist giggling hysterically at Juliet. She looked away for a moment, taking a quick look at Butler whilst her face was scrunched up and her tongue hung out of her mouth. She dropped this silly expression and decided she needed to talk with her brother, knowing something was up. Not wanting to leave the twins unoccupied, she searched in the farthest corner of her mind for a riddle. The twins loved riddles. They usually solved them fast, but Juliet decided to give them more of a challenge.

"Oh, Myles! Beckett!" She called the two boys' attention."Wanna hear a riddle?"

The two boys nodded eagerly, and Beckett's eyes got wide. Juliet giggled at this, and then leaned forward, speaking in a voice only high enough for them hear. "Name an eight letter word that has 'kst' in the middle, in the beginning, and at the end."

Immediately, the two boys set to thinking. You could see the curiosity burning in their faces, the same curiosity that could sometimes be recognized on their older brother's face. Satisfied that they were distracted, Juliet turned to face her brother.

"I'm sure they're fine, brother. You know Artemis can take care of himself with that jumbo brain of his." Juliet said, wiping her hands clean with a napkin. "And with Holly around, no one can come within ten yards of both of them. What are you so worried about?" She searched his face for an answer and, inspecting the newly formed wrinkles on his face, wished he wouldn't frown so much.

Mr. and Mrs. Fowl, who had only recently finished their dinner, were not paying attention and talking quietly amongst themselves, laughing occasionally, as if mentioning an inside joke. They seemed completely unaware of the world around them, so Butler decided it was safe to reply.

He sighed and took a sip of his water. Quietly, he said, "It's not them I'm worried about. It's what they're up to."

"Artemis _is _one to be suspected of being 'up to something,'" Juliet said, understanding his reasoning.

Butler grinned with a half-smile. "The last thing Artemis is interested in is showing off his security system, don't you think? But if not, what then?"

"Good question," his sister replied. "He hasn't mentioned anything to you?"

Butler shook his head. Anything Artemis had mentioned to him in the last few days never seemed to suggest anything of significance. Could there have been something he missed?

Juliet was in thought now, and after a few seconds, her face lit up. Clearing her throat and raising her voice, she said, "Don't you want to take a look at that security system, too, Butler?" And doing so, she winked.

Butler, getting the message, put on a serious face. "Yes, Artemis hasn't shown it to me yet. Perhaps we should take a look."

This was loud enough for Angeline and Artemis Senior to hear. Angeline turned away from her conversation, an elated expression on her face.

"Oh, don't feel obliged to stay. I just wanted to make sure the twins had their dinner. Go on, I'm sure Artemis will be glad for you to join him." She gave them a warm smile.

"Thank you, Miss Fowl." Juliet and Butler said simultaneously, which made the woman make a small wave with her hand.

"Please, call me Angeline."

Butler and Juliet had agreed their relationship with the Fowl family was beyond formality, but some habits were hard to drop. Calling her "Miss Fowl" was one of them. They hadn't gotten to know Artemis' mother very well these past few years. It seemed that there was always something standing in the way.

Rising from their seats, they both headed towards the stairway. Once they disappeared out of sight, Myles, who had occupied his fingers with playing with his spoon, suddenly raised one hand and pointed his forefinger at the ceiling.

"Solved it!" He proclaimed, smiling a smug grin.

Beckett, who was taken aback by his brother's sudden outburst, pouted his lips. "Did not."

"Did too!" Myles countered. Beckett, although knowing he should figure out the riddle for himself, chose to ease the task of solving the problem. "Hmm. Prove it."

Myles, oblivious to what he was about to do, decided it was safe to shout out the answer. "Inkstand!" As if winning a victory, he proudly folded his chubby little hands in front of him. "See?"

Beckett only shook his head. "Simple-toon."

* * *

_Fowl Manor, Artemis' Study_

The wide-framed window of the study now hung agar. When Artemis first opened it, a wave of cold air rushed into room, making him shudder.

Outside the window, you could see that it had long ago stopped snowing, but the ground was still covered in a white, glittering blanket. It seemed to glow, every ray of light ricocheting off the surface. The air was still and quiet.

Holly had already turned off her LEP suit's camouflage setting, and it became visible under her dress, which she carefully took off and placed on one of the spinning-chairs. Activating the temperature regulation on the suit, she instantly felt warmer and the goose bumps on her skin went away.

Artemis searched through the study's wardrobe and found himself a black, Canada Goose parka.

"You're going to take the Cessna," Artemis stated simply while zipping up the coat.

Holly nodded. "Is it fast enough? Not that I have any other choice, of course."

Artemis made his way towards the window and jumped onto the window pane. "Well, it took me a while to make some improvements. As you know, it was-" Artemis coughed and carefully picked his words, "brutally bombarded by a berserk pixie, but yes, it will be fast enough."

"Nice alliteration," Holly noted, knowing he most likely did it on purpose. "I'll inform Foaly about it now. I know they won't have time to send me a shuttle, and he'll be curious to know how else I'm going to get there."

Taking out the LEP communicator again, she began composing a message.

_I told Artemis. Transportation provided. Tell Trouble I'll be there soon._

_-Holly_

A few seconds later, the LEP communicator beeped. Holly clicked a button to read the message.

'_Transportation provided'? What does he have over there, the Air Force shuttle base?_

_I'll tell him. Activate the helmet when you're on your way._

_-Foaly_

Holly wondered if Foaly was able to go one minute without making a sarcastic remark. Probably not.

Artemis, who hadn't replied, was stealthily crouching on the window pane in full concentration, his hands raised above him.

Standing from a distance, it would look like Artemis was holding on to the eave of the roof with his hands. This would seem silly, considering he was perfectly in balance with no danger of falling. In reality, he was inputting a code on a hidden number dial under the edge of the roof's corner. This number dial, as he had explained to Holly, when unlocked, would extend a twelve-foot ladder, one which they could climb down to reach the ground-floor.

Once she had put the LEP communicator away, she watched him in disbelief and wondered what other secrets were hidden within the Manor.

She was also wishing she had her wings. When she made her journey to Fowl Manor, she had used an old pair from back in the days. Those working at LEPrecon were allowed to keep this old version, since they had no other use for it. Holly decided to be resourceful and save them for small journeys such as this, but she knew they could hardly be useful now. Besides, she had left them outside the entrance of the Manor, so she couldn't even put them to use to get out of the building. The only thing she could use to her advantage was the helmet.

She wished for Foaly's much-needed technology as she wondered how productively fast Artemis' plan was going to be. She had argued that she was perfectly capable of scaling down the roof herself, but Artemis insisted on using the ladder, not wanting to cause a disturbance that might catch the attention of the residents inside the Manor.

After shifting in his uncomfortable position, Artemis clicked the last digit of the password to unlock the ladder, and after a few beeps or so, four little green lights lit up.

With a droning hum, the metallic stairway slowly started to extend itself downward from under the small space between where the roof met the wall. When it could extend no longer, it stopped moving with a thump.

"You think of everything, don't you?" Holly asked.

Artemis stepped down from the window pane and dusted off his jacket. Some pieces of snow had fallen on him when the ladder began its descent, causing the roof to vibrate and send some of the white stuff flying down.

"Honestly, I didn't think it would come to much use until now." He chuckled slightly and looked at the floor, recalling a memory. "It was my first building project."

Holly walked towards the window. "That's nice, Artemis. I don't mean to interrupt your reminiscence, but we better speed up the process." Sitting herself on the window pane, she lifted up her legs and spun around so that they hung outside the window. Then, carefully climbing onto the ladder, she gripped both sides of the ledges and started to descend.

Artemis followed.

"If you didn't think it'd be useful, why did you built it?" Holly asked. She was somewhat curious as well as trying to lighten the mood and not get worked up about what was waiting at the targeted location site. This was part of her training. She could remember one of her teachers giving a lecture on stress management.

"_Remember, class. When faced with a stressful situation, don't concentrate too much on what might happen. Distract yourself any way you can, preferably handling the task at hand."_

This was what she was doing now. Distracting herself from paranoid thoughts.

It felt strange to be so worried. After all, after everything she had faced, this should be a piece of cake. _But I was prepared then, _Holly thought._ Or at least I didn't let my guard down, like now. I let my guard down when our most dangerous enemy is still out there._

She snapped back into reality as she reached the bottom and heard Artemis' reply.

"Actually, building it was Mother's suggestion. I suspect she wanted me to find a way to escape once I was a rebellious teenager." Reaching the last step, he jumped, making a crunching sound in the snow.

Holly laughed. "Rebellious teenager? I think that's an understatement, Arty." And then an afterthought: _Uh-oh. Am I really starting this again? Arty? My nerves are getting the better of me._

Artemis didn't seem to notice this, and instead, started making his way to the northern border of the estate, where the garage workshop resided. There they would find Cessna- a machine that will prove useful once again.

Holly followed and started wondering if she was showing symptoms of the Atlantis Complex. Paranoia definitely seemed to be getting the better of her. However, she dismissed the excuse, knowing she took a mentality test only last week. _If that's not it, what is it?_

"Perhaps. I don't think Mother intended me to use it for the same purposes." Artemis said, a hint of guilt in his voice.

He continued throwing glances at the Manor, knowing that Butler was probably getting worked up sitting at the dinner table. _If he's still _at _the dinner table._

Taking a look at Holly, he saw that he didn't have her full attention. Instead, she had her head hung and he couldn't see her face. This was strange. She seemed...distracted.

"Are you alright, Holly?" Artemis asked. Never in his life had he seen her like this, especially before a mission. She was always prepared and held herself together through everything. What was wrong now?

Looking ahead, he could see that they were almost at the garage, and made out its faded mahogany color behind the gated fence.

Holly, whose head had snapped up, was barely looking where she was going and found herself tripping over a rock. "Fine," she replied, knowing it was an obvious lie. "J-just a little nervous."

_Holly Short, nervous? As well as inarticulate in speech? Something isn't right. _Artemis thought. He slowed his pace to match Holly's, who was a few steps behind him.

"You're not one to be nervous, Holly."

She shuddered, even though she wasn't really cold. She kept repeating to get a hold of herself. This was very unprofessional.

"There's a first time for everything, I guess." She swallowed. "It'll go away soon. Let's just get this over with."

Artemis wasn't convinced, but he knew she was right. The time to talk about this would be later.

When they had reached the gate, Artemis swung it open, having had Butler dispose of the heavy bolt keeping it closed a few weeks ago. When they reached the workshop, Artemis tapped in the code for the keypad entry system, and pushed open the sliding doors. He flicked on a switch, and immediately, artificial lighting exposed the contents below.

In the middle of numerous tool trolleys, construction pieces, wooden boards and other paraphernalia, stood the Cessna. It looked polished and brand new, as if it had never experienced a crash-landing. Artemis intended for anyone who looked at it to be awestruck. Looking at Holly now, he was glad to have accomplished his goal.

"Impressive," she breathed.

"I know. I'm fairly proud of it myself. Still carbon neutral, of course. It is coated with the newest model of solar panels. The power is fully loaded, so you shouldn't have a problem. I can give you a more elaborate tour after you come back." He walked over to the small plane and opened the door to the cockpit.

Holly followed him and climbed inside. "Thanks, Artemis. I'll do my best to take care of it."

Artemis winced, imagining what would happen if she _didn't_ take care of it.

Before closing the door, he briefly explained how to operate the machinery. Holly easily memorized what the basic buttons were for. Curiously, it was very similar to any flying vehicle created by the People. For a second, Holly wondered if that's where Artemis got his inspiration.

"Good luck, Captain." Artemis said.

"As if that ever worked for me," Holly muttered. "Thanks. Remind Juliet I loved the dinner. I'm really sorry that I had to-"

"It's nothing, Holly. They'll be other times," and then, with a smug grin, "unless of course you let me accompany you. Then all is forgiven."

"You're right. I'm sure everyone will forgive me. Once I give them their gifts." Holly smirked and simultaneous started the engine. "And I'm not kidding."

That wiped the smile from Artemis' face. "Gifts?"

"Isn't it Christmas tradition?" She reached for the safety belt and strapped it into place. "See you later, Mud Boy. I'll tell Foaly to notify you on anything important."

Artemis nodded, still wondering if Holly was serious about the 'gifts', and shut the door as the propellers started to pick up speed. He took a few steps back and watched through the cockpit glass window as Holly put on her helmet and pressed some more buttons on the control panel. A few seconds later the Cessna started to move. Once it was out of the garage and began picking up speed, Artemis came back outside, hugging himself as a cold breeze blew in his direction.

The small plane made it's way onto the field and gradually got got smaller and smaller. Eventually, it parted from the ground, heading into the dark night.

Artemis took a deep breath. "As if I won't already be watching."

Rubbing his hands together, he made his way back to the Manor, leaving a trail of footsteps in the snow.


End file.
